A conventional control system for multiple power supplies (used on servers, uninterrupted power system and the like), referring to FIG. 1, generally includes multiple sets of power supplies 91 in a cabinet or multiple cabinets, or operating independently at different locations. The power supplies 91, aside from connecting to individual loads, also are connected to a data processing system 92 which can be installed on a bus panel in the same cabinet or a computer connected to the power supplies 91 through wires. The data processing system 92 receives the power from the power supplies 91 to perform operation. Output and abnormal conditions of the power supplies 91 are read by the data process system 92 and sent to a remote control equipment 93 via a communication means so that the administrators can be remotely informed of operation status of the individual power supplies 91 and whether malfunction occurs to the power supplies 91 through the remote control equipment 93.
The aforesaid architecture has been implemented for years. But malfunction of the power supplies 91 still takes place occasionally and results in machine down, data loss and system interruption. It mainly caused by flaws of control circuit architecture of the power supplies 91. First, the conventional power supplies 91 transmit data to the data processing system 92 through I2C (bus panel or computer motherboard), then the data processing system 92 interprets and transmits information to the remote control equipment 93. However, in the event that some data processing system 92 does not support I2C operation is disabled (some computer motherboards do not provide support needed).
Moreover, the address setting of I2C of the data processing system 92 could be different from the power supplies 91 and result in errors and incorrect data access. For instance, I2C address 0x25 originally aimed to transmit computer CPU temperature, but the power supply end 91 may be set for transmitting the internal temperature of the power supplies 91. The different information at two ends could cause access errors of the data processing system 92, and the administrators at the remote end cannot acquire the actual conditions of the power supplies 91.
Another drawback that is difficult to eliminate is machine down of the data processing system 92 that results in failure of I2C data access through the data processing system 92. And the remote control equipment 93 cannot get the correct information. Whether the power supplies 91 function correctly or incorrectly, the administrators cannot get the accurate status remotely.
There is another condition in which the data processing system 92 has to receive the power through the power supplies 91 for operating. In the event that the power supplies 91 malfunctions, the data processing system 92 also cannot function normally, and the remote control equipment 93 cannot get any data to judge whether the malfunction occurs to the power supplies 91 or the data processing system 92. As a result, troubleshooting is difficult.
All the aforesaid problems still exist in the conventional circuit architecture. There are still rooms for improvement, especially in terms of total system stability.